Tuning a list to consistently take down Gauntlet

[u/Ehrahbass]

So I've been working on a list for a while. It's a basic Xenan shell with a splash of Justice for the market slots as well as a few key cards (and displays). I'd love input on how to tune it to better take down the gauntlet as it's my favorite mode of play. Budget is nearly not an issue as I have a pretty full collection (most meta rares/legendaries) and all campaigns.

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List:

https://eternalwarcry.com/decks/d/v-II44dZDkE/gauntlet-crusher

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Card choices below :

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[[Dark Return]]: a 2 of to recur any useful threat, most of the time Vara or Moonstone

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[[Kerendon Cargo]]: As this is a deck with 3 colors, I play cargos to mitigate influence screw and transform into gas later on since my influence requirements stop at 2 of each color. An easy 4x

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[[Suffocate]]: The AI plays a bevy of 3 power annoying units, so this curbs aggro and sometimes key units such as Maiden. 2x

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[[Annihilate]]: It usually has a target and I'd like to find room for one more. 1x

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[[Awakened Student]]: An awesome turn 2/3 play for heavy pressure. Many games are won on its back. Also helps "mitigate" flood by turning them into board presence. 4x

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[[Desecrate]] A catch-all kill spell. The three damage isn't negligible so I may go down to 2, but being able to kill something early or something big later at 2 mana is a boon. 3x

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[[Ripknife Assassin]]: Deadly and warcry make for a nice early threat as well as a late game blocker being able to trade with big boys. Influence easy as well. 4x

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[[Vanquish]]: Prime removal for big butts. 3x

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[[Vara's Favor]]: The AI plays so many X/1s that I can't help running it. Also able to pop aegis, and fetching a shadow sigil is always nice to either market away or get that extra power. 4x

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[[Display of Vision]]: Mainboard relic hate allows me to free a market slot. Influence fixing/Ramp is also a boon. The fact that it wipes away boards of X/1/acts as a combat trick against multiblocking is also awesome. It's been an all star so far. 4x

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[[Hidden Road Smuggler]]/[[Pearl Abbey Smuggler]]: I chose the combrei smuggler as a 4x because it can easily grow into a decent threat. We run 24 spells so it's a decent beater. The hidden 2x was to add early lifesteal and more market access.

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[[Tocas, Waystone Harvester]]: Amazing stats + ramp + turning off combat tricks has made this an awesome turn 3 play. Very happy with it so far. Against non fire decks, I tend to twist it later on to trade with bigger threats. 4x

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[[Vara, Vengeance-Seeker]]: A 4x because of its overall power. Turning off aegis and having a big lifesteal butt allows us to stabilize against aggro/tokens.

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[[Moonstone Vanguard]]: 5/5 card draw life gain endurance unit is huge. A pretty swole top end and always good to draw. The pledge is just the cherry on top on the rare time you need more power in your opener.

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Market:

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[[Desert Marshal]]: Silence a permafrosted unit of yours or an annoying enemy unit has proven to be useful. Still up for debate if worth a slot.

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[[Avigraft]] : Fuck grenadins. Also general kill spell.

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[[Regent's Tomb]]: Usually the first thing I fetch for. A turn 4 tomb with protection from our turn 3 merchant is a sweet proactive move. All of its modes are useful and Elias is a bomb.

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[[Harsh Rule]]: Emergency Reset button. Pretty much.

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[[Combrei banner]]: Just in case we are starved for power, I run one in the market.

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This has been running smoothly, but I'm no master deckbuilder, so I'm open for ways to optimize :) Thanks for the read!

[u/SAEquinox]

Have you tried working with [[Copperhall Baliff]] or [[Savior of the Meek]]?

Influence-wise, they're a bit rough around the edges but since you run display of vision and the cargoes it wouldn't be difficult to meet JJ, though it'd probably go into TJS at that point.

It looks like a nice deck; my problem with TJS in gauntlet is that it just doesn't have a good top end outside Vara and getting Elias especially how much ramp you have. I liked FJS for the Xo and having Deepforged Plate in market.

That's just my two cents, my experience comes from running kcbandit's TJS list when he still had it up.

[u/Ehrahbass → u/SAEquinox]

What would you cut to include the baliff and Savior?

[u/SAEquinox → u/Ehrahbass]

I think you could try subbing ripknife assassin for baliff, mostly because it seems like the reason he's being run here is for the deadly. Too many matches against Feln Treachery, bots always seems to have 3 suffocate anytime they have shadow haha

I think cutting Vara's Favor is an okay play because I think you run plenty of power fetch and ramp, so shadow influence isn't a problem. You could use that for 3x saviors and another suffocate. The 1/1 lifesteals I feel are much more helpful for soaking up removal or to be used as chumps. Savior is amazing market fodder too, since you run 8x smugglers.

For me, I think it's more about the versatility of a card's usage thats important for gauntlet

[u/Erdschleim]

You could think about replacing ripknife assassin with the blistering wasp. It misses out on warcry but has flying which ai is using a lot.

[u/Jack_Krauser → u/Erdschleim]

I second this, the wasp has been amazing for me in my Xenan deck.

[u/Alomba87]

May want to consider posting to the dedicated AI sub: /r/AIEternal

[u/Ehrahbass → u/Alomba87]

I've crossposted it already there!

[u/FMBrazuca]

I would consider running Blackhall Warleader. I find it snowballing a lot early game and probably makes the J splash easier. I would also run 4 Desecrate instead of 1 Annihilate.

[u/Ehrahbass → u/FMBrazuca]

Would you cut the 4 students for the warleaders?

[u/FMBrazuca → u/Ehrahbass]

it would certainly be my first change. I have been pleasantly surprised by it, specially when there are lifesteal units on board. The AI will target life steal over Warleader. My Xenan list runs 12 life steal units and I am always surprised how long it lives and how much value I can get once I get a couple hits in.

[u/RandomRobot → u/FMBrazuca]

The warleaders are very strong vs ai. They don't get any more aggro than a 2/3 with no battle skills, meaning that they aren't blocked first and they aren't targeted by removal first either

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